On Thursday, November 29, I found myself in ENG 319: Composition Methods at CMU, reviewing a set of responses my students had just written as feedback for what I’ll call momentarily and generically a text–a common occurrence that semester, thanks to the bolstered clinical experiences recently approved for English majors at CMU earning teaching credentials 7-12. In truth, however, the so-called text was decidedly not just any text; it was an urgent message and call to action from President Robert O. Davies that was distributed to the entire university community the morning after a hate crime had taken place on campus. (Read the message from President Davies embedded below or click here to open the message in a new tab.)

Assessing my students’ work, I was immediately inspired to share their feedback with President Davies and then invite him to our final exam session to discuss his message; however, I first asked my students for their approval. As it turned out, reactions were mixed:

“That would be amazing!”

“Do you think he would really visit our class?

“Probably not. He’s way too busy to spend time with a bunch of undergraduates.”

“No way.”

“OMG. How cool would that be if he actually visited?

“Let’s do it!”

Central Michigan University President Robert Davies (photo courtesy of CMU)

With my students’ approval and mindful of university protocol, I didn’t write directly to President Davies. Instead, I sent an invitation to his executive assistant the following morning, waited barely three hours, and received an answer: He said yes!

To grade rough drafts or not to grade them: that is the question I’ve wrestled with recently in my English teaching. Writing takes so much time to assess, especially when teaching the writing process and requesting that students revise multiple drafts of the same piece of writing. Moreover, I’ve learned over the years that students are more likely to take the writing process seriously if they are graded along the way. My own approach has been to grade first, second, and sometimes third drafts, and then record solely the final grade, but I know other teachers who opt to average the three (the better to keep students motivated in the early and middle stages of the drafting process).

I began to confront this ongoing inner wrestling when I attended the National Writing Project Midwest Conference at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, August 3rd through 5th. Jen Doucette, from the Greater Madison Writing Project, presented a workshop on assessing student writing. She teaches creative writing classes and she has eliminated assessments on writing assignments – no points, no percentages, no grades. This approach to teaching writing seemed wonderful to me at first glance, but I realized there was a distinct difference between her assessment situation and mine. She teaches an elective course in creating writing while my writing instruction takes place in ELA core classes. However, I agreed with much of her rationale for eliminating grades on writing assignments.

One of Doucette’s reasons for eliminating writing grades really struck a positive chord with me. She posited teacher’s values for writing progress being misaligned with an assessment rubric as a reason to jettison the rubric. Doucette’s writing mentor is Maja Wilson’s text, Rethinking Rubrics in Writing Assessment. According to Wilson, “An assessment method must convince us that it reflects our values about teaching writing before it seduces us with its claim to save time” (28). Continue reading →

Having never been to Madison, Wisconsin I did not anticipate such a beautiful city nestled upon an isthmus between the lakes Mendota and Monona. In this place, all roads lead to the capitol building where colorful food trucks and various statues of Bucky the Badger dot the landscape. I traveled on this busy weekend with my family and we took in the sites of the city. We loved the intimacy of the Henry Vilas Zoo; had our first taste of rolled ice cream at Rollicious on the iconic State Street; strolled through the vibrant Olbrich Botanical Gardens; and marveled at the serenity of Alumni Park on the University of Wisconsin campus. Madison is, without a doubt, grounded in solid sense of self.

As we gathered together in the Union South Hall we encountered old friends, new friends, and emerging friends, all dedicated to improving their teacher-writer identities and sharing the wealth of knowledge with their students. After breakfast and coffee, Greater Madison Writing Project director, Mark Dziedzic kicked off the event with a humble welcome and, in true NWP fashion, prompted us to write with two questions:

What are your roots?

What are your branches?

I loved the questions, and we began to write. Here is my response:

As I grow, reaching to the sky, there are those who nourish and compel me forward. There are also those who have served their purpose and since have been pruned, as they have pruned me out of their lives. Some branches, like my biological children, seem to stretch out naturally. Some, like my stepdaughter, are beautifully grafted on. Others, like my youngest, are unexpected shoots who keep me grounded and blessed. I prefer the branches that carry me in new directions, and I am grateful to reach out, bending my pliable branches with others.

When I looked around the conference hall I saw a forest of experience and each of us was leaning on the other – branches growing, together.

It would be too much to share everything that happened during the conference but, in the spirit of growing together, I will share the highlights. Continue reading →

This summer, the CRWP Teachers as Writers Blog featured guest posts ahead of the National Writing Project Midwest Conference. This week on the CRWP Blog, we are sharing a guest post from Greater Madison Writing Project Co-Director and conference organizer Mark Dziedzic who offers his reflection on the conference. In the coming weeks, we’ll post reflections from CRWP teacher consultants who attended as well. We agree with Mark: the NWP Midwest Conference was a wonderful opportunity to connect, collaborate, and learn!

The inaugural NWP Midwest Conference is officially in the books, and as NWP way of being would suggest, a little writing and reflection is in order.

Almost two years in the making, having first been hatched at the 2016 NWP Annual Meeting in Atlanta, the conference was held on a beautiful August weekend in Madison, WI. About 130 NWP colleagues from throughout the Midwest (and beyond) came together for of a weekend of connecting, collaborating and learning with one another. The weekend featured a Literacy & Learning for All pre-conference workshop and keynote from Chippewa River WP director and digital literacy guru Troy Hicks, writing marathons that took attendees on a writing exploration through a variety of beautiful and iconic Madison locations, and 40 plus workshops and roundtables facilitated by NWP colleagues.Continue reading →

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The CRWP Teachers As Writers Blog will feature guest posts in July in advance of the National Writing Project Midwest Conference. The NWP Midwest Conference takes place August 3, 4, and 5 in Madison, Wisconsin, and will feature presentations from NWP Teacher Leaders and Site Directors, as well as a keynote and pre-conference from the CRWP’s own Troy Hicks. Today’s post comes from Natalie Owen of the Greater Madison Writing Project in Wisconsin.

Kim’s Cotton Field by Natalie Owen

I began investigating Mindfulness when I realized after a couple years in the classroom that there is always more that could be done. Mindfulness is finding a way to be more present so we can enjoy our time with students more, approach the natural challenges of the profession gracefully, and be a balanced role model for our students. Here are five tips for teachers looking to incorporate mindful habits.

1. Like yourself just the way you are!

I love that as a teacher I am always wanting to get better. I have found many teachers who also share this endless zest to always improve. I am learning that I also need to like exactly where I am right now as a teacher. Appreciating where we are allows us to give ourselves grace in the forever process which is developing mastery. I’ve also determined once and for all that guilt is unproductive. Enjoy the leisure time you give yourself and stop wasting a good night’s sleep over fretting about what is not yet right.Continue reading →